THAT Is Why Savannah Smiles

Brightly beams our Father's mercy

From his lighthouse evermore,

 But to us he gives the keeping

Of the lights along the shore.

(Chorus)

Let the lower lights be burning;

Send a gleam across the wave.

Some poor fainting, struggling seaman

You may rescue, you may save.

Dark the night of sin has settled;

Loud the angry billows roar.

Eager eyes are watching, longing,

For the lights along the shore.

Trim your feeble lamp, my brother;

Some poor sailor, tempest-tossed,

Trying now to make the harbor,

In the darkness may be lost.

This last Sunday was one of the best I have yet to experience here in the mission. We were able to witness one of our brothers begin a new life 

as he stepped into the baptismal waters and covenanted with His Father 

that he would always follow Him. The first song we sang was 

"Brightly Beams Our Father's Mercy" (Number 335 in the Hymnbook) 

and as we began to sing the chorus i could not keep the tears from flowing. 

This song describes perfectly our purpose as missionaries. 

Everything that I have been trying to do while here in Mexico this year and a half. 

"Some poor fainting, struggling seaman you may rescue, you may save."  

I love being a missionary. 

I thank my Father in Heaven each and every day for giving me the opportunity to represent his Son and to share this message of hope and love. 18 months have passed by so fast and I am amazed at all of the wonderful people I have been blessed to meet. 

If you have the chance to go on a mission, 

DO IT and serve with everything you've got. 

It will be one of the best decisions you will ever make in all of your  life. 
God loves us! 

He sent his Son to earth to save us. 

Our Father has restored The Church of Jesus Christ and His priesthood power. 

Forgiveness is possible. 

Miracles exist. 

We are children of God. 

That is why Savannah smiles. 

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/10/the-atonement

Gilberto's Miracle

I have a MIRACLE to share with you guys. 

One of the best moments of all of my mission. 

One of our investigators, Gilberto, has been progressing so much, and this last week we taught him about the blessings of fasting. 
On Friday we were able to fast with him for the baptismal date he had accepted (May 24), and the interview he needed to pass before being baptized. Saturday we went to a baptism service so he could see how it is, and he had his interview directly after. They were in there for about 2 hours, and when our district leader came out he said that Gilberto had told him he didn't feel ready to be baptized on the 24th and that he would rather wait till the 31st. Later, Gilberto told us that when he said that the elder looked sad, so he told him he would pray on Saturday night and tell us the answer on Sunday after the meetings. When our leader told us all of this I just kept thinking "It's ok. I just know he will be baptized in May. I know that everything will work out the way Heavenly Father wants it to." 

So then comes Sunday. In Sunday School the class was about Baptism (how perfect right?), and at the end of the class the teacher asked if anyone had any comments and Gilberto said "I do" and began to tell us that Saturday night after saying his prayer he dreamed that he was on an island, and someone came up to him and submerged him in water. He then told us that he knew the Spirit had baptized him in his dream. Then he told us "I have made the decision to be baptized May 24. I know that it is what I have to do." How amazing!!!! 
It was such a special experience. As missionaries we study and teach and worry ourselves about the progression of each one of the people that we meet, but when it comes down to it the most important answer they need to receive is the one that comes from above. God's plan is perfect. 
He loves his children and is so willing to answer our prayers. 

"The object of prayer is not to change the will of God, but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant, but that we must ask for in order to obtain." -The Guide to the Scriptures "Prayer"

PS This link doesn't relate to this particular blog, but Savannah wanted us to post it today.

http://www.mormonchannel.org/watch/series/mormon-messages/lift-the-power-of-service

Con Amor,
Hermana Jones

Who We Represent

Being a missionary means that we get to know and love some people 

with very interesting lives. Today I just want to give you a few examples.

1. The other day we went to visit an investigator who is an artist. Not just any artist though. He does sculptures out of various materials like wire and plaster. It just so happens that 80% of the sculptures he had in his house were of naked women. 

You can imagine how uncomfortable us missionaries and the family we brought with us felt. Also, the last time we went to visit him, a friend of his was visiting and he told us (a little bit slurred due to the endless source of alcohol he was drinking) that he had not washed the pants and sweater he was wearing for more than a year. Ew...

2. I always thought that things like drug trafficking and other shady businesses were just rumors and only exist in the movies. Wrong. The other day we met a sweet lady who told us that for 8 years she was married to a drug lord, and that they killed her husband and then kidnapped her for three days. Crazy...

3. A few weeks ago two 45+ year old men pulled up next to us in their car, and kept insisting that they take us to buy a soda in the nearby convenience store. We told them no and kept walking. Much to our surprise this last week we ran into them again. This time walking in the street. They were both a little bit affected by alcohol and they kept insisting that we accompany them to their apartment, and that they are just two "college kids." And then, as if that wasn't bad enough, one of them came up to me and said "outside of all this religious stuff - I just want to tell you that you are beautiful and I would love to get to know you. You really can't go to the movies, 

or anything like that?" Bleh...

It's great being a missionary because it's like all of the natural barriers fall down when the people meet us, and they open up to who they are. They don't seem to notice that we are two young girls, without much real life experience. I think it's because they see not who we are, but rather who we represent. 

One of my favorite things to explain to people is why we don't use our full names. 

For a year and a half, we have the privilege to represent our families, and the Lord Jesus Christ. What a blessing. I absolutely love being a missionary. 

Like Ammon I say with him, "And this is the blessing which hath been bestowed upon [me], that [I] have been made [an] instrument in the hands of God to bring about this great work." (Alma 26:3, The Book of Mormon)

Rainy season again!

In front of our apartment.

Con Amor, Hermana Jones

Superbowl for Missionaries

What an incredible weekend, right? A sister missionary once said 

"General Conference for missionaries 

is almost like the Superbowl for Americans." Yep, its true. While everyone else in the chapel seemed to be sleeping, our little missionary brains were absolutely soaking in every bit of inspiration. Loved it. 

Don't have much time to write, but here is a sweet scripture for you all:

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; 

and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me."  (John 13:20, The Holy Bible)

I hope we could receive those that He sent this last weekend, and that we can continue to apply His teaching in our lives daily.

Con amor, Hermana Jones

PS- If you haven't seen the Easter video "Because He lives", 

here is the link where you can watch it.             

http://www.mormon.org/easter

Future Apple Trees

This last week I have been thinking a lot about seeds. I think it all started when the relief society pres showed us some little baby plants that she had planted and it made me think about how amazing it is that life can come from such a tiny little thing as a seed. 

Before planting the seed, many times we don't know how the plant will turn out, or if it will give us fruit, or exactly how much time it will take before the plant reaches its full potential, but  we plant the seed with the hope that SOMETHING will happen. 

As a missionary we plant many seeds. 

We talk with a countless number of people with the hope that something we say will trigger the desire within them to know more. Most of the time we don't ever see any sign of future growth and that can be a downer sometimes, but I am a witness that the point is not how many apples we pick, but rather how many future apple trees we plant. If we do our best, then there is no reason to lament the lack of fruit. Sometimes it just isn't the season yet. 

In the Book of Mormon, 
the prophet Alma talks about a different type of seed. 
One that, if planted and nourished will help us to know if the message of the restored Gospel is true. 
He explains: 
But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.

 "Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.

 "..But behold, as the seed swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, 

then you must needs say that the seed is good; for behold it swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow. And now, behold, will not this strengthen your faith? 

Yea, it will strengthen your faith: for ye will say I know that this is a good seed; for behold it sprouteth and beginneth to grow.

   And now, behold, are ye sure that this is a good seed? 

I say unto you, Yea; for every seed bringeth forth unto its own likeness.

  Therefore, if a seed groweth it is good, but if it groweth not,

behold it is not good, therefore it is cast away.

  And now, behold, because ye have tried the experiment, and planted the seed, 

and it swelleth and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, 

ye must needs know that the seed is good." (Alma 32:27-28, 30-33, The Book of Mormon)

I know that the invitation that Alma gives us really works. 

That we can know what the truth is. I, like Alma, invite all to plant the seed 

of the gospel and enjoy the blessings of the fruit that it gives us. 

Con amor, Hermana Jones